First Reply Twice Bitten, That's It

[Alina Tremiru]

Nar Shaddaa was a cesspool of violence, drugs, and crime. It wasn't surprising given the Hutts that ruled it, but it didn't make the seedy nature any better for Alina to experience. The only bright side of it all was the fact there were just the type of people she hoped to find. The one who changed her all those years ago, and the unfortunate soul who wouldn't be missed when she felt a little peckish. The coven that had once ruled their part of this city was long dead and gone. There were no people to appease with tribute. Not that she would if there was. The Sith stepped from a darkened alley, leaving behind the corpse of her late night meal as she glanced to and froe. No one in sight.

She'd been here for hours now, walking through the streets as she searched for a sign of her sire. That was the term she'd been told anyway. Something like a parent. Of course, there was no sign of him. He'd killed that coven and left as she remembered, and after all this time she honestly didn't think there'd be anything left for her to follow even if he had left something. Which made this.. A walk down memory lane? Alina hummed at that thought as she walked forward again, letting her eyes fall over the club she'd slaughtered on the night of her transformation. To think she'd been a helpless girl just prior, with no arms after a battle with the Imperial Knights.

Alina chuckled. It was indeed a walk down memory lane, then. She hopped from the road she was on, landing on the curb beside the club a couple stories down. Abandoned still. Well, that wasn't too surprising given the grisly seen that had been left behind. Bloodless corpses of gangsters, bystanders, club goes. The haze that she'd learn was the Red Hunger had been overwhelming and demanding. Even now she felt it, though the meal she'd just had certainly helped to alleviate it. Was it stronger now that she'd come back, as if all that time she was dead needed to be satiated as much as the present? Possibly.

Her form stood in the doorway, shaded by the black of the dress she'd chosen to wear. She was very much embodying what she was; Vampire. Why deny what she was or hide it with something else? Most people just assumed she was some holonet cosplayer anyway, which let the oddness of her eyes slip by. Mostly. Alina took a needless breath, letting her eyes close as she tried to remember that night decades ago. Nothing more than the haze of red, the voice of her maker, and the smell of blood.

This truly was a dead end.

 

[Thelma Goth]

Wearing: xxx

Most people who happened upon a corpse drained of blood in an alley might have thought twice about even daring to pick the dead man's pocket. Thelma crouched down beside the body and checked for signs of life, before looking through his pockets to learn his identity. She found no wallet or other clues as to who the man was - an unfortunate fact of life for many on Narsh, especially the homeless and displaced. Gazing upon the man with pity, she picked him up and slung him over her shoulder. He was quite a large man compared to her tiny frame, but she had grown much stronger since leaving Coruscant.

She hadn't meant to come to Nar Shaddaa, but her hasty escape from the Jedi Temple had left her with few options. Eventually she hoped to return to Necropolis, but her homeworld was the first place her pursuers would look. Until they gave up the search, she would wander and hide.

Carrying the corpse, she headed for the abandoned building she now called home. It appeared to have once been a nightclub; she had begun to restore the interior space she lived in, but otherwise left the place looking run down and inhospitable so as to avert suspicion. She had no idea that the area had a history of vampire activity, let alone that the club itself was the site of a grisly massacre. She only knew that so far the locals had left her alone, and she them... apart from her routine feedings, which left little to no trace.

Unlike the unfortunate fellow she carried. She would bring him to her home and give him a proper burial, as was Necropolitan custom. He may have been forgotten in life, but she could at least ensure he was treated with respect in death.

Alina Tremiru​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Well that explains the signs of life."

Alina sat perched on a couch of all things. Only a quick trip inside had revealed there were people currently living here, despite the terrible tales. Or perhaps because of them. If people avoided the place out of fear, did that mean someone was capitalizing on it? She'd waited just to see, far too curious for her own good. And sure enough, the owner came in. With her scraps, no less. That alone almost had Alina burst out into laughter once she caught sight of the corpse, but she bit her tongue.

"Do you plan on eating that?"

Thelma Goth

 

[Thelma Goth]

Thelma staggered through the doorway—and froze when she spotted the woman waiting inside. While Alina might not recognize Thelma (she used to dye her hair black and wear green contact lenses in those days), Thelma most certainly remembered Alina. They had met before, many years ago, when she was still a young Padawan. The Sangnir had cut off her hand and nearly killed her in a duel. Now here she was, reclining on her couch like she owned the place.

"Do you plan on eating that?"

"No," Thelma replied softly. "I was going to give him a proper burial." She didn't sense any other presences around, thankfully. But Alina was still not one to be trifled with. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Alina Tremiru​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"That's a strange hobby to have."

Alina didn't move from where she sat, simply resting comfortably with her arms dangling behind the couch. Idly toying with the hilt of her lightsaber just out of sight. She could smell the Force around Thelma. Whoever she might be, they could be a threat. Jedi? No, no she couldn't smell alignment. But she also couldn't smell the corruption of the Dark. At least this girl would make a better meal than the corpse she'd carried all this way.

"Visiting old haunts, as it were. Looking for traces of old acquaintances. Did you choose here to hide behind the rumors this place has?"

Thelma Goth

 

[Thelma Goth]

"It's not a hobby," Thelma said. "It's the decent thing to do." She laid the body gently on another couch, keeping her gaze fixed on Alina lest she make any sudden movements. She still had the weapons Lyli Dragi had given her during her escape from the Temple. The little vampiress was a kind soul, but one couldn't survive long on Narsh without being able to defend themselves.

"What rumors?" Thelma's ignorance was genuine. She hadn't exactly spoken much to the locals, preferring to keep to herself. "Is this your territory, then?"

Alina Tremiru​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"How very Jedi of you."

Alina shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. Perhaps she could've at least put the corpse in the trash rather than litter as she had, but she doubted there were very many people who had a burial for their meals.

"It's not mine, nor was it. But there was quite the massacre here. The kind that has people stay away, at least for a time. I imagine there's been a couple folks like you who utilized it for their own twisted hobbies. Someone always going missing nearby, perhaps a corpse left out, a spree of murder. Who knows." She crossed one leg over the other, letting a bemused smile form over her lips.

"Is this your twisted hobby? Stealing corpses to bury? Can't say it's the strangest."

Thelma Goth

 

[Thelma Goth]

"How very Jedi of you."

Thelma stiffened. "I am not a member of the Order anymore."

Alina spoke of a massacre. Thelma had seen no signs of it here, but perhaps the mess had been cleaned up long ago. More alarming to her was the idea that there were vampires killing the locals here. Thelma's feeding was largely unobtrusive; her "victims" remained alive and healthy, just missing a few minor memories. Not being able to remember what they ate for breakfast wasn't doing them any lasting harm. But to kill them, to drain them of blood? That was cruel and evil.

The Sangnir ignored her explanation, continuing to call what she was doing a "twisted hobby". "It is not a hobby," she repeated. "It is the custom of my people to honor the dead, so that their spirits may rest easy.

"And this is my home now." The wisest choice here was to simply ask Alina to leave, but Thelma felt a terrible guilt at the thought of letting her walk out of there and go on killing. "I've harmed no one. But if you are the one who killed this man, Jedi or not, I must stop you."

Alina Tremiru​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Little vampire," Alina stood slowly then. She didn't hide the lightsaber in her grasp as she did, displaying it openly. It was a threat, and an unspoken one. "I was wondering why you smelled so familiar. You're still spouting that same nonesense."

Calmly she moved to the doorway, head high, uncaring to the threat that had been made to her in turn.

"You've grown, but you're foolish to lay down your life to stop me from just leaving. You can keep your scraps here and live as you like; I won't be here long after all. Just have one more place to check."

Thelma Goth

 

[Thelma Goth]

“I thought you were dead,” Thelma whispered. “That you couldn’t hurt anyone anymore.”

There was more driving her than determination to not let a killer go free. So soon after the trial of her master and her subsequent escape from the Temple, the little vampiress was still stinging with pain and shame. She had exposed her secret, becoming vulnerable, and in return her very existence had been rejected. Really, how could she blame them for viewing her as a monster when vampires like Alina roamed the stars, leaving a trail of drained corpses in their wake?

If Thelma could stop her, it would mean there was one less vamp out there giving the rest a bad name.

The Force rippled in the doorway, an invisible barrier forming to block Alina’s path with a flick of Thelma’s tapered fingers. She grabbed the lightsaber shoto Lyli had given her and activated the blade.

“You’re not leaving. Not as long as you continue to kill to survive.”

Alina Tremiru​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Death doesn't mean people are safe, you know." Alina shrugged, though she did raise a brow as she found something in her way. Invisible? Ah, barrier. And not a weak one at that. "Do you realize how dumb that sounds? You couldn't have made it something like.. 'So long as you murder innocent people' or like 'if you're just going to butcher people'. But no, you chose kill to survive?"

She laughed. It was the only thing she could do as she turned, stepped over to the corpse to instead plop on the couch beside them with an exaggerated sigh.

"Go fight big meat industry or something if that's the line for you, little vampire." The Sangnir reached out, cupping the chin of her late meal to turn their face towards Thelma. Let the tips of her fingers dig into the bloodless flesh. Then flooded it with anima. The rich red that made up the lifeblood of the Force flowed through the corpse, which immediately jerked up. Awake. Alive. Hungry.

It didn't hesitate, throwing itself towards the Jedi in a frantic hunger. Faster than it should've been capable of as the human it once was.

Thelma Goth

 

[Thelma Goth]

"Do you realize how dumb that sounds? You couldn't have made it something like.. 'So long as you murder innocent people' or like 'if you're just going to butcher people'. But no, you chose kill to—

Before Alina finished speaking, Thelma threw her shoto up at the ceiling. The blade sliced through the single working light she had installed, destroying it and plunging the room into pitch blackness. Thelma seemed to disappear along with the light, even her presence in the Force fading into the background.

Alina moved to the couch and used her power to reanimate the corpse. It staggered to its feet, then shot forward. Thelma dodged its charge. Using the Force, she attempted to drain the anima from its body, hoping to preserve the corpse while removing it as a threat.

Alina Tremiru​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Nor the ghoul or Alina lost sight of the invisible girl. Well, scent, at least. Her eyes just casually turned to watch as the corpse continued to sprint towards the girl. The red thirst had utterly consumed it's mind and intentions. The corpse slowed, but the sheer amount of Anima Alina had pumped into the body wasn't just something that a non Sangnir could drain. And worse, it made it hungrier. It whirled around, snarling, clawing at the ground to throw itself endlessly towards the girl until it was either fully drained or destroyed.

"You're enjoying your high horse a little too much, little vampire. You smell awfully full. All that anima flowing through those veins, though I suppose you can't make use of it as a lesser species. How many have you devoured?" It was obvious Thelma was no Sangnir, so which of the other species was still up in the air. But she could quite literally smell the potency in her blood. She stood, again moving towards the doorway while her little minion frantically tried to obtain the Anima it was continually loosing.

"But, we're all hypocrites at the end of the day, aren't we?"

Thelma Goth

 

[Thelma Goth]

While Alina continued to speak in ignorance, Thelma continued to drain the zombie using the Force, letting the anima—really just another form of energy, as she discovered—dissipate harmlessly. The girl was truly determined to give this body a proper burial, zombified or not. Since it kept trying to get at her, she guided it into another room. Once it was inside, clawing and snarling, she closed the door and locked it.

“None,” she replied, as the door rattled feebly behind her. “I don’t need to kill.”

She hadn’t been able to maintain the barrier over the entrance while she was dealing with the zombie. Alina tried to leave yet again. Thelma quickly drew her custom sonic pistol, one of the weapons Lyli had given her, took aim and—

Alina Tremiru​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

By the time Thelma returned, Alina was gone. With the barrier down she walked out, took a turn, jumped up on the next level, and went about her search for what she'd come to this planet for. She wasn't here to fight after all.

Thelma Goth

 

[Thelma Goth]

She was gone. Thelma wasted no time rushing to the open door, running out into the night.

Her vampiric powers didn’t include the ability to track prey by their scent, but she did have the Force. Alina’s presence was very strange, and ought to be easy enough to pick out even in a city so densely packed with life. She stretched out her senses, searching for the Sangnir…

Alina Tremiru​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina wasn't far. If anything, she'd taken a leisurely stroll after hopping to the road above. The creature she made would, normally, buy her enough time to simply walk away. It was a poor assumption on her part, but she wasn't particularly bothered by the younger, lesser Vampire. Thelma still smelled as weak as the Sangnir remembered. No, not as weak, but still comparably so. That, and she didn't want to deal with that blaster of all things.

It was a pain to regrow internal organs.

Thelma Goth

 

[Thelma Goth]

She hadn't gone far. As Thelma crossed the rooftops, moving with fleet-footed leaps through the air, she saw the Sangnir up ahead, walking at a leisurely pace down the road. Speeders flew by in a blur of light and color, their figures by the roadside but brief reflections in transparisteel windows.

There was too much risk of the sonic blaster hitting a bystander up here. So Thelma put the gun away and instead produced the lightsaber given to her by her rescuers. Breaking into a run, she leaped toward Alina from behind, igniting the indigo blade at the last moment, going for a diagonal slash at her back.

Alina Tremiru​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"You're awfully persistent."

She hadn't expected the girl to follow, and yet Thelma had. Alina twisted under the saber, leapt back to make more room between them before she raised a hand to let loose a torrent of lightning. It wasn't a testing amount either. A lethal amount of electricity, with the full intent of throwing Thelma away with it. And, well, she didn't care for the civilians around like the Jedi seemed to.

"Stop wasting my time."

Thelma Goth

 

[Thelma Goth]

Thelma blocked the lightning with her blade, wincing at the strength of the blast. But she didn't falter or back down.

"Stop wasting my time."

"Stop killing innocents." The moment the lightning ceased, Thelma dashed forward once again, this time facing Alina head-on with a thrust aimed at her chest.

Alina Tremiru​